99ster

[quote name='BigRedX' post='114812' date='Jan 6 2008, 05:45 PM']I am definitely interested in the Stroborack especially if you can do a special "Basschat deal" Keep us all informed please![/quote] +1.

[quote name='bassaussie' post='114154' date='Jan 5 2008, 04:54 PM']I've got a feeling this is a hijacked account scam. Something doesn't look right. Check out the auction in question, then look at his finished auctions. The seller (ie. the real seller) has a style to the way he sets up his auctions, and this one doesn't fit in with those. He's also got a trumpet up, and from checking out other Ebay auctions, it appears the brand, Monette, is a very expensive brand. I'm gonna call bullshit on this one.[/quote] Spot on I would say - a classic account hijack scam. They want shooting.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='113911' date='Jan 5 2008, 08:34 AM']Hello! There's no definite good or bad years, or a clear watershed when QC slipped. Any bass from any year has a chance to be a dog or a gem... but certain era's have different hit/miss ratios. The early 70s, up to '73/'74 tend to be of similar standard to late 60's (same tooling, staff, materials) which is a good thing. The three-bolt neck (which some people dislike) was introduced in around '74, and around '75 they also started using very heavy northern ash. Many people will tell you that QC began to slip around this time, but it's a very blurry line. Personally, I've played some great (but heavy) later '70s Ps and Js. That said, I'd be cautious about buying one blind. If you try one and it speaks to you... go for it. Of course, the only way to get your ideal bass mentioned above is to build it yourself from parts. Hope this helps![/quote] +100 I'd add that IMHO - from owning & playing a LOT of 70's Fenders, that 1971 & 1972 are the very best years for 70's basses. I think these are actually better than the later 60's ones (68-69) which weren't great years... And I now wouldn't really recommend anything after 1974 if you're looking for a truly great 70's Fender. [i](And of course the great 60's Fenders (59-66) are a completely different league.)[/i]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='114129' date='Jan 5 2008, 04:22 PM'][b]Oh how I hate that Shouty big text on eBay listings[/b][/quote] +1000!!!

I contacted Lakland direct about buying one of the '[url="http://www.lakland.com/basses/decade.htm"]Decade[/url]' basses (I think they look fabulous) & they were more than happy to supply direct to me in the UK ($2,500 + shipping + duty) - but has already been said, I can't see that you'll ever get 20-25 people to agree on the spec of a custom bass...

[quote name='GremlinAndy' post='107863' date='Dec 21 2007, 09:06 PM']My [i]Peterson Stroborack [/i]arrived a couple of weeks ago. Well what can I say. It's fast, accurate and does a whole load of "[i]sweeteners[/i]" and the like, which are a bit beyond my needs, and is much more accurate yet stable/usable. It also has a neat programmable scrolling message function, which has no reason to exist on a tuner, other than it's a cool effect. It's *the* most fantastic piece of kit, but [u]very[/u] expensive, so unless you have money to burn, I'd stick with my previous rack tuner, the Korg dtr2000 which I keep in my studio rack now. Overview: Looks: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 Ease of use: 10/10 (basic use) 5/10 (extended use) Price/Value for money: 5/10 (so expensive and just does the same job as a *much* cheaper unit) Overall: 7/10 (low [b]only[/b] because of price) Andy[/quote] Can I ask where you got yours from please Andy? I already have a DTR2000 in my rack - then I got a Peterson VS-1 for set-ups (2nd hand on eBay from Roger Sadowsky of all people!) - but it's so good that I'm VERY tempted to replace the Korg with a Strobrack.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='113203' date='Jan 3 2008, 09:17 PM']I know someone who knocked over his Gibson Les Paul after a gig and snapped the headstock off. It was £65 to fix & the Luthier did an excellent job. Perhaps this was a particularly clean break that was easier, so cheaper, to fix than some.[/quote] So easy to do - they will even snap off inside a case - I've seen a '64 335 (worth about £15K) fall over in its case (the original Gibson case). The headstock had snapped almost in two - because it's not supported properly in the old cases the neck can suffer from a 'whiplash' effect. And the necks are made from mahogany which is very brittle & just snaps into loads of splinters. Horrendous. You have to VERY careful how you handle & transport Gibson guitars & basses - especially the old ones. You'll see loads of them with headstock repairs...

[quote name='andy67' post='113195' date='Jan 3 2008, 08:58 PM']thats an extortionate quote..really would take a luthier around an hour to prepare and glue dowels/headstock and a further couple to finish off...£50 an hour would seem reasonable to me![/quote] +100 That's way over what anyone should be paying! [url="http://www.andyviccarscustom.co.uk/repairs.php"]Andy Viccars[/url] for example charges from £30 for a headtock repair & his work is as good as it gets.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='113028' date='Jan 3 2008, 04:51 PM']yep as long as the rest of the neck is in tact and you have all of the pieces you can glue the headstock back onto the neck, you might be able to do it yourself with some wood glue, sandpaper and finishing stuff. However if you get a pro to do it it might be expensive but they can make it look as if it had never come off.[/quote] Sorry but in IMHO - it's not as easy as that to fix - when it's done properly it often requires metal pins being added to support the break because of the stress caused by string tension. I've seen repairs look great until the first time the strings are put back on & it's tuned up...then it all comes apart again. Especially with Gibsons which are infamous for having weak headstocks. It's really not a job for an amateur & a pro repair will only cost around £150 - & like you say can be made to look 'invisible'.

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='112612' date='Jan 2 2008, 10:25 PM']OHHHHHHHHHHH sh*t!!!!! i just checked over the 5 guitars that i got back from the police today!!!!! my friends gibson sg now has a VERY broken headstock!!!!!!!!! basterds!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wanna kick the crap out of the thieving gits!!!!!!! crap!!!!!! argh!!!![/quote] Maybe a bit far from you guys - but Andy Viccars is an expert in repairing Gibson headstock breaks... [url="http://www.andyviccarscustom.co.uk/"]http://www.andyviccarscustom.co.uk/[/url]

[quote name='Deep Thought' post='87587' date='Nov 12 2007, 09:32 PM'][quote] From what I understand, the 'router hump' was a feature of most old Fenders (both guitars & basses) - certainly up to the mid 60's, though I'm not sure exactly what year it stopped appearing. I have a '66 Precision with a 'router hump', and have owned a '69 Precision without. It was caused by a routing machine at the Fender plant that was unable to complete a smooth curve on the tight curve on the lower horn of the body. This 'feature' stopped appearing when a new routing machine was installed at the plant - sometime in the late 60's. I have heard it said that sometimes it was smoothed out by hand - but personally, I wouldn't buy a 60's Fender without it. That said, some of the better custom body makers add it as a feature on re-issue guitar & bass bodies.[/quote] Cheers for that-illustrates it very nicely. [/quote] I've also read another theory that it was an intentional feature - with the extra wood at that point helping to keep the neck pocket from cracking...

[quote name='bremen' post='112189' date='Jan 2 2008, 11:51 AM']I asked him for the serial number - it checks out as being 1966-67. But it's on the neck plate, shouldn't it be on the headstock? Isn't the big F on the neckplate a 70s innovation? Should the neck have a skunk stripe? If we're convinced that this is a fake - and he virtually admits it - we should maybe politely suggest he alter the description. Recent experience shows that Evilbay don't give a fjork. On the other hand, anyone who still believes it pukka after reading his answers probably deserves it. I think if it goes for real money I'll tip the winner off.[/quote] For a 1966 Fender bass the serial number would be stamped on an 'F' neck plate ('F' neck plates were used from late 1965 onwards). The serial number is correct for that year - but it's very easy to get hold of an 'F' neck plate copy with a serial number added (it may even be an original neck plate). The serial numbers weren't put on the headstocks until around ten years later in 1976. The neck on a 1966 Precision wouldn't have had a skunk stripe.... But no - it most certainly isn't a genuine 1966 Precision... it's just a junk copy with a decal & a F neck plate added. (Here's real 1966 Precision: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1543)"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1543)[/url]

Stumbled across this site when looking for info on recording techniques - well worth a look: [url="http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/"]http://www.saecollege.de/reference_material/[/url]

[url="http://www.westsidedistribution.com/"]Westside Distribution[/url] - they import Mesa/Boogie - excellent service for spares, etc... A v.big thumbs up! Whereas SWR - or rather Fender UK who own SWR were utter rubbish. Could only get any help with schematics (for an SM400) from a guy in the US. But that's the usual story with the UK versus US for customer service... And Wal (Pete The Fish) have always been tremendous for me...

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='108844' date='Dec 24 2007, 11:07 AM']If you still have any pics I'd love to see them. [/quote] Unfortunately I never took any pics - it was a good 20 years ago when I sold it on, before digital cameras made taking photos such a quick & easy thing to do...

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='108563' date='Dec 23 2007, 02:30 PM']Zender is no longer on ANY register or literature pertaining to Warwick (hasn't been for a while). Unless he is locked in some form of legal wrangling it isn't related to Warwick.[/quote] +1. This is a quote from Stuart (from the Q&As at www.stuartzender.net) [i]"...I find the older basses have more dirt and less of a clinical sound than the new ones, though there is some monstrous bottom end to be found on some of the newer models. I lean towards my trusty 64P-bass a lot these days. Its unfortunate what happened to my custom basses but this is through no fault of my own. I do hope that one day they may find themselves at an auction raising lots of money for a charity that would benefit some more deserved people rather than me or the current owners. I bought my first Warwick before I joined the band and it was only after the success of the first album that I was approached by them. I did use a variety of basses on all the albums. Alembic, Fender, Musicman, and Warwick were the basses used. I currently hold no sponsorship deals from any Bass Guitar or String companies."[/i]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='107939' date='Dec 21 2007, 11:55 PM']Yeah great sound. I'd like to know what amp setup he's using Aguilar[/quote] The sound we're hearing will be the Fenders direct through either a REDDI, Ridge Farm Gas Cooker or similar very expensive boutique valve DI box - his Aguilar rig is usually just for his 'on stage' sound... It's hard to see on this footage if the cab is miked up as well, but he normally doesn't have it miked up...

'Divided By 13' amps are reckoned to be amazing for guitar... He also does a bass amp.... [url="http://www.dividedby13.com/tbl200.html"]http://www.dividedby13.com/tbl200.html[/url] Mmmmm.... I bet that is sweet.

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='108283' date='Dec 22 2007, 06:37 PM']Easy. The only bass I have. [attachment=4285:marathon.jpg][/quote] Cool bass...! I had the 6 string version for a while (fretless as well).

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='107806' date='Dec 21 2007, 06:49 PM']I'd quite like a nice black guitar strap with a buckle, [i]a la Marcus[/i]. It doesn't have to be identical to his, just as long as it's black, has a buckle, and is preferably quite wide for load-bearing duties. I haven't seen one in a shop for a while; so do any of you guys know of products and/or retailers that fit my requirements? Bo![/quote] Something like this??? [url="http://www.eldoradostraps.com/products-over.htm"]http://www.eldoradostraps.com/products-over.htm[/url]

[quote name='Volume' post='102998' date='Dec 11 2007, 11:41 PM']Hi guys I've been offered a Vintage Ampeg B15N combo, and just wanted to check with you folks about how much I should offer for it... it's in good working condition, having recently been serviced and PAT Tested, but has some damage to the Tolex covering, and has has an Altec Lansing Blowout-proof speaker fitted... how much would this affect the amount that I should pay, and also how would it affect the value that I could sell it on for? I've heard nothing but good things about these combos, obviously it'd be too heavy for regular live work, but it would be an excellent tool for use in the studio. The other thing I'd like opinions on would be about who I should go to, to get the Tolex replaced/repaired? and also where would be best to have it serviced in the future? Many thanks Rich[/quote] They're actually not that heavy & the cab is quite shallow - so they're pretty easy to move around. Saying that - my 1965 B-15N is full flight-cased because they're definitely NOT up to being humped around in the back of a van & certainly not to loads of gigs. Mine is too precious to me to risk taking to gigs at all... But for recording, which is what I got it for, they are THE ultimate. You simply can't get anything better. Testament to this are the countless classic LP's that have been recorded using an Ampeg B-15 over the last 40 years - & they are a feature in every important studio in the world, and are held in the highest regard by the best producers & engineers... Though I would say that they're not best suited to active modern basses - which is no surprise I suppose! They go best with old Fenders... You should check out this site: [url="http://www.fliptops.net/"]http://www.fliptops.net/[/url] Bruce, the guy that runs it is very helpful, & knows all there is to know about old Ampegs... I had Steve Rowse [url="http://www.stevesamps.co.uk/"]http://www.stevesamps.co.uk/[/url] restore mine & convert it to UK mains after I imported it from the US. He's highly recommend. And the info from Ted is excellent....!

[quote name='G-bitch' post='106480' date='Dec 19 2007, 02:05 PM']They made a buster head too - not sure if it ever made it to this side of the pond though, rare as hens teeth as it is. Agreed, Trace valve amps are to be avoided if you want grindy, unless it's one of the older ones with the SMX pre-amp and a low powered (100w ish) output stage that you can drive.[/quote] You're right about the Buster head (& cabs) - a mythical beast indeed - I suspect they never even imported them into the UK.... I'd love one if any has one!